Hoover brand chief goes to Electrolux

Swedish consumer electronics giant Electrolux has appointed senior Hoover Candy marketer Steve Holton to the new role of product and brand director.

Holton, who took over the role last week, will manage the product and brand marketing teams and will have group-wide responsibility for strategic commercial planning.

He will report to the company’s UK interim managing director Peter Messetter and directly to the company’s head office in Brussels.

Holton joined Hoover Candy, where he was marketing and strategic planning director, in 2005. Before that, he was strategic development director with BSH Home Appliances UK from 2001 to 2005. He has also served as group marketing director at General Domestic Appliances. Holton’s appointment follows a restructuring of the department, which led to UK brand and marketing director Andy Mackay leaving the company after 19 years (MW May 17). Mackay’s role has now been scrapped.

The changes also led to the promotion of Roger Taylor, vice-president and managing director of UK and Ireland, to vice-president of sales for Electrolux Major Appliances Europe.

Electrolux has suffered from increased production overheads in recent years. In 2003 it axed 5,000 jobs, citing declining demand and higher material costs.

In 2005, it blamed production costs for a decision to move its Swedish factory to Hungary and has relocated many of its North American and European plants to Asia and Mexico. Electrolux sells more than 40 million products to customers in 150 countries every year.